MATARA-BELIATTA RAILWAY-EXTENSION; PART III
 – A HIGH QUALITY MODERN RAILWAY-LINE AT EXORBITANT OVERALL CAPITAL EXPENDITURES WITH NO RETURN OF INVESTMENT COSTS By Dr. F.A. Wingler, February 2019

With the 26 km Matara-Beliatta Railway Extension, Sri Lanka got the first time a modern world-class standard and high quality rail-track and a high capacity railway-station infrastructure.

In January 2019 the work on the Infrastructure had been still going on. However, the rail-track had been ready for one public maiden and test-run with the China build S 12 DEMU.

The technical and design features of the Matara-Beliatta Line should be used as shining teaching sample for reengineering, modernizing and refurbishing the other ailing, unsound and unhealthy rail-tracks and as well the other poor quality railway-station infrastructures within the Railway Enhancement and Colombo Suburban Railway Projects as a service to the socio-economical development of the country.

For the approx. one billion US Dollar investments in the less populated south area with less public transport demand, there is no chance of a return for the massive capital investment.